FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. Baltimore, MD. June 26, 2009. - Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, announced a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to support Sesame's Healthy Habits for Life initiative. The initiative aims to inform family child care providers on how to integrate healthy nutrition and physical activity into daycare setting that serve preschool children, as well as inform their parents and caregivers about the same topics. The announcement was made today at the National Association for Family Child Care's (NAFCC) Annual Conference.At the present time, there is limited research on how English- and Spanish-speaking family child care providers, can include healthy habits for young children as part of their daily routines in ways that will have a long lasting impact. In response to this fact, and as an integral part of the initiative, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is supporting Sesame Workshop to conduct an innovative impact study for a typically underserved community. The study, in both English and Spanish, will evaluate the guide's effectiveness and impact of integrating Sesame Street Healthy Habits for Life messages and strategies into family child-care settings and with parents.
Instilling healthy practices in children at an early age is one way to combat the alarming rates of childhood obesity in the U.S. Early care and education providers have a unique opportunity to encourage and model healthy habits in their programs. Thirteen thousand bilingual Sesame Street Healthy Habits for Life: Child Care Resource Kits will be distributed through the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) in Alabama, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio and Tennessee, areas with great need and strong networks of family child-care providers.
The Sesame Street Healthy Habits for Life: Child Care Resource kit, originally produced in partnership with Nemours Health & Prevention Services and KidsHealth.org, is a 100 page print guide that includes strategies and hands-on activities that can easily integrate into the daily routines of formal and informal child-care programs. The kit also includes The Get Healthy Now Show - an original Sesame Street DVD, and companion children's activity book. Many components of the print guide, offered in both English and Spanish, will be available on Sesame Workshop's website, www.sesameworkshop.org/healthyhabits.
"Fortunately, a window of opportunity exists during the early years when health practices can be positively shaped by social environments. Research shows that young children's eating habits and food preferences are generally shaped very early on. During these early years, children can learn to like a variety of wholesome foods and develop healthy practices through repeated exposure, engaging in positive dietary practices, and having positive role models," said Gary E. Knell, President and CEO of Sesame Workshop. "We are thrilled to have the support of Robert Wood Johnson and NAFCC to help deliver these invaluable resources."
"The National Association for Family Child Care is delighted to be partnering with Sesame Workshop and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in making this exciting new resource available to family child care providers, said Linda Geigle, Executive Director, National Association for Family Child Care. "We know that providers, as well as the children and families in their care will benefit from this partnership."
About Sesame Workshop:
Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization that changed television forever with the legendary Sesame Street. As the single largest informal educator of young children, local Sesame Street programs produced in countries as diverse as South Africa, Bangladesh and India are making a difference in over 120 nations. Using proprietary research to create engaging and enriching content, Sesame Workshop produces programs such as Dragon Tales and Pinky Dinky Doo. In addition, multimedia needs-driven initiatives provide families tools for addressing such issues as children's health, military deployment and emergency preparedness. As a nonprofit, product proceeds and philanthropic donations support Sesame Workshop's educational research and creative content for children around the world. Learn more at www.sesameworkshop.org.
About Robert Wood Johnson Foundation:
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change.
For more than 35 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.
About The National Association for Family Child Care:
The National Association for Family Child Care is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting quality child care by strengthening the profession of family child care. NAFCC's goals are to strengthen state and local associations as the primary support system for individual family child care providers; to promote a professional accreditation system which recognizes and encourages quality care for children; to represent family child care by advocating for their needs and collaborating with other organizations; to promote the diversity of the family child care profession through training, state and local associations, public education, and Board membership; and to deliver effective programs through strong organizational management.
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"Fortunately, a window of opportunity exists during the early years when health practices can be positively shaped by social environments. Research shows that young children's eating habits and food preferences are generally shaped very early on. During these early years, children can learn to like a variety of wholesome foods and develop healthy practices through repeated exposure, engaging in positive dietary practices, and having positive role models," said Gary E. Knell, President and CEO of Sesame Workshop. "We are thrilled to have the support of Robert Wood Johnson and NAFCC to help deliver these invaluable resources."
"The National Association for Family Child Care is delighted to be partnering with Sesame Workshop and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in making this exciting new resource available to family child care providers, said Linda Geigle, Executive Director, National Association for Family Child Care. "We know that providers, as well as the children and families in their care will benefit from this partnership."
About Sesame Workshop:
Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization that changed television forever with the legendary Sesame Street. As the single largest informal educator of young children, local Sesame Street programs produced in countries as diverse as South Africa, Bangladesh and India are making a difference in over 120 nations. Using proprietary research to create engaging and enriching content, Sesame Workshop produces programs such as Dragon Tales and Pinky Dinky Doo. In addition, multimedia needs-driven initiatives provide families tools for addressing such issues as children's health, military deployment and emergency preparedness. As a nonprofit, product proceeds and philanthropic donations support Sesame Workshop's educational research and creative content for children around the world. Learn more at www.sesameworkshop.org.
About Robert Wood Johnson Foundation:
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change.
For more than 35 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.
About The National Association for Family Child Care:
The National Association for Family Child Care is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting quality child care by strengthening the profession of family child care. NAFCC's goals are to strengthen state and local associations as the primary support system for individual family child care providers; to promote a professional accreditation system which recognizes and encourages quality care for children; to represent family child care by advocating for their needs and collaborating with other organizations; to promote the diversity of the family child care profession through training, state and local associations, public education, and Board membership; and to deliver effective programs through strong organizational management.
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